The Virginian-Pilot and ProPublica have filed a lawsuit in federal court against the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), accusing the agency of denying requests for documents under the Freedom of Information Act. The lawsuit seeks a preliminary injunction compelling the government to immediately release correspondence about Agent Orange, an herbicide used to kill vegetation during the Vietnam War.

In 2017, the Department of Veterans Affairs faces an array of decisions related to the herbicide Agent Orange, which contained the toxic chemical dioxin and was used to kill vegetation during the Vietnam War. The VA must decide whether to add new diseases to its list of conditions presumed to be linked to Agent Orange. It also faces calls to compensate naval veterans and veterans who served along the Korean demilitarized zone . Additionally, Congress passed a bill requiring VA to pay for analysis of …

Veterans Affairs (VA) researchers found a link between service-related occupational exposure to herbicides and high blood pressure (hypertension) risk among a group of Army Chemical Corps veterans assigned to do chemical operations during the Vietnam War. The article includes a link to a free downloadable National Academy of Science report on Veterans and Agent Orange.

A new study has found a close relationship between Agent Orange exposure during the Vietnam War and high blood pressure, a conclusion that could lead the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs to dramatically expand the number of veterans eligible for compensation. A VA working group has been looking at evidence linking bladder cancer, underactive thyroid, Parkinson’s-like symptoms and hypertension to Agent Orange exposure.

More than two decades of studying Agent Orange exposure hasn’t produced a solid understanding of how the toxic herbicide has harmed Vietnam War veterans and possibly their children, according to a report released Thursday. The research committee concluded there’s still much to learn, especially related to potential health consequences for children and grandchildren of vets exposed.

The four-year battle for medical benefits waged by Westover Air Reserve vets who were exposed to Agent Orange while flying the C-123 planes after the Vietnam War could be over by the end of the month. VA Secretary McDonald said he plans to make an announcement within a few weeks about care for the crews who flew the planes after many were used to spray the chemical over the Vietnam countryside. A number of veterans organizations have been lobbying to support the C-123 veterans.